ARTICLES ABOUT GRAND JURY BY DATE - PAGE 2

State Attorney Jeff Ashton is asking members of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority to appear before a grand jury investigating alleged violations of the state's sunshine laws. In an email to the Orlando Sentinel, Ashton's chief assistant said late Wednesday that board members who agree to appear will receive no form of immunity but will be given the opportunity "to answer questions and tell their side of the story. " Richard Wallsh said all five board members have been asked to appear.

An Orange County grand jury is looking into an allegation that three board members of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority violated the state's open-records law, State Attorney Jeff Ashton said in a memo released Wednesday. "The grand jury for Orange County has requested that I assist them in exploring the facts surrounding the departure of the authority's previous executive director, the selection of Mr. [Steve] Precourt and certain other matters," Ashton wrote. Ashton is investigating claims that board members Scott Batterson, Marco Peña and Noranne Downs discussed among themselves or through intermediaries the employment status of former expressway Director Max Crumit.

A Seminole County grand jury indicted five people on first-degree murder charges, including a mother accused of shooting her 17-year-old daughter in the face. Charged are: •Sujatha Guduru, 44, who police say killed Seminole High School International Baccalaureate student Chetana Guduru Jan. 27 at their home in Oviedo. Guduru also tried to kill herself, officers said. •Twins Christopher and Manuel Rodriguez, 19, who are accused of killing Tevin Davis Jan. 20. Christopher Rodriguez chased Davis, 22, through traffic on State Road 436 while firing at him, Altamonte Springs police said.

An Orange County grand jury indicted three men in the Halloween shooting death of Richard Bond, whose body was found dumped in a parking lot. Romero Simpson, 29, Rafael Harrison, 27, and 52-year-old Ansel Haughton were charged with first degree murder, attempted robbery with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and accessory to murder, according to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office. Bond, 35, was shot to death in the 1900 block on Pineway Drive and his body was left in a business center parking lot on Lake Ellenor Drive, south of Orlando.

About a dozen people rallied outside the Orlando Police Department headquarters Saturday demanding justice after a grand jury decided not to seek charges against officers who shot and killed a 19-year-old man in January, WESH-Channel 2 is reporting. Although no charges were filed, the grand jury criticized the officers and said "little planning went into (the) operation" that left Karvas Gamble Jr. dead. Gamble's family wants the officers to face criminal charges. To read the full story, see WESH.com .

With one punch, Taylor Dwayne Harris ended his father's life. But the details of the convoluted family feud were not enough to convince an Orange County grand jury to charge the 21-year-old in the slaying. The jury voted Wednesday not to indict Taylor Dwayne Harris on manslaughter and aggravated battery charges in the fatal fight with father Leonard Harris, 52. Taylor Harris punched his father after he disclosed an affair. The Orange-Osceola State Attornery's said, barring any new information coming to light, Harris will not face any additional charges related to his father's death.

A grand jury is criticizing Orlando police for their handling of an encounter with two suspected marijuana dealers that ended with one dead and another wounded. Grand jurors noted that the wounded man, 26-year-old Cordaryl "C.J. " Wilson, was shot during the "knock-and-talk" operation after he didn't respond to an order to raise his hands - an order he couldn't follow because he wears an arm splint and has nerve damage from a 2011 shooting. "It seems to us that the safety of the officers and the public was jeopardized by eight armed officers acting more or less independently with no one individual in clear operational command," the grand jurors wrote.

A grand jury could indict Aaron Hernandez on two more murder charges, according to a Boston Globe report citing two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. Hernandez, a former Florida Gators and New England Patriots tight end, has already been charged with murder in connection with the death of semi pro football player Odin Lloyd. Now prosecutors reportedly are asking a grand jury to weigh whether Hernandez should be charged in the shooting death of two men in Boston in July 2012.

An Orange County grand jury found nothing criminal this week in its review of a shooting by Orlando police that killed one suspect and wounded a second in January. The review of this and other fatal police shootings in Orange and Osceola counties was announced in June by State Attorney Jeff Ashton who spoke of his "grave concern" about an increase in officer-involved shootings. The January case involved the death of Karvas Gamble, 19, and wounding of Cordaryl Wilson, 25, during a drug raid on Arlington Street.

Regarding June 10 article "Backyard chickens: Orange likes idea," I can support homeowners keeping a limited number of chickens in backyard coops for their personal use - provided the chickens are treated humanely. But that doesn't mean that government should require buying permits and paying fees anymore than that required to keep a pet in an outdoor doghouse or a pet bird in a bird cage. Otherwise it becomes just another means of increasing tax revenue without just cause. Chickens are not inexpensive animals to house/feed/maintain, and any governmental fees and taxes merely increase the cost of egg production.